In the co-main event at UFC on Fox 9: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2, former WEC champion Urijah Faber (29-6 MMA; 5-2 UFC) takes on the young Michael McDonald (16-2 MMA; 5-1 UFC). This three-round Bantamweight fight is the third of four on the main card live on Fox. The UFC Rankings have Faber as the #2 contender, and McDonald just one spot below him at #3. UFC on Fox 9: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 airs live from Sacramento, California Saturday, December 12 with a fight time of 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for the main card on Fox.
Faber vs. McDonald is your classic old guard vs young lion fight, which I am always excited for. Faber's position in the UFC has been clear for some time now - he can't quite win the title, but he will beat everyone else put ahead of him. McDonald looks to change that by pulling off the upset here. And he'll look to do it in front of a clearly partisan, pro-Faber hometown crowd. This has the feel of a classic WEC card, and I mean that as the best possible compliment.
How do these two stack up?
Faber: 34 years old | 5'6" | 69" reach
McDonald: 22 years old | 5'8" | 70" reach
What have these two done recently?
Faber: W - Yuri Alcantara (UD) | W - Scott Jorgensen (Sub) | W - Ivan Menjivar (Sub)
McDonald: W - Brad Pickett (Sub) | L - Renan Barao (Sub) | W - Miguel Torres (KO)
How did these two get here?
"The California Kid" Urijah Faber has been stuck in that #1 contender limbo pretty much since the moment Mike Brown knocked him out and took his WEC Featherweight title back in 2008. Since then, he has won every single non-title fight he's been in, but he lost every single title fight. He's looked more loose and, as a result, more vicious and like the Faber of old in his recent fights. He'll need that if he hopes to keep the young McDonald at bay.
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Michael "Mayday" McDonald feels like an almost certain future champion. The 22 year old had his first shot at UFC gold earlier this year, falling to champion Renan Barao. He's since bounced back, looking just as impressive as before. McDonald is a fantastic, dynamic striker who will test the new Bang Ludwig version of Faber, while at the same time Faber will likely test the grappling of the more stand-up oriented McDonald. If those big things are indeed in this young fighter's future, this could be a key moment in that rise.
Why should you care?
Seriously, this fight is so awesome. If you have every watched these guys fight, I can't imagine why you would not be excited.
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